Tag Archives: Alcoholics Anonymous

What really causes addiction — to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail firsthand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their addictions. He started to wonder why we treat addicts the way we do — and if there might be a better way. As he shares in this deeply personal talk, his questions took him around the world, and unearthed some surprising and hopeful ways of thinking about an age-old problem.

This is a chart showing trends in arrests for drug abuse violations divided by age groups from 1970-2003. Deutsch: gestapeltes Säulendiagramm (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TED Talks inspire and frustrate me. Here’s a classic example. While I’m passionately against drug abuse and have seen it destroy too many lives close to me, I also believe in addressing it effectively instead of playing Security Theater. Portugal has already tested the science and succeeded, so why would we not follow suit? Because it’s counterintuitive change, and enough Americans distrust scientists and Europe to fight it.

At the same time, we can’t oversimplify (See the article below.) It’s not an easy solution, but it seems worth exploring. Let’s start by looking at Portugal and taking it from there.

What do you think? Is this completely crazy, or just crazy enough to work?

Incidentally, I developed and am implementing part of the solution with Journey Groups.